Podcast appearances and mentions of christian why

Christian Apologetics—the defense of your faith—can easily lead to getting sidetracked. It's important to keep the Gospel as the goal of your approach. In this episode, you're getting an exclusive sneak-peak at one of the lectures of the Apologetics Foundations Course from the Hammer & Anvil Society. Specifically, you will learn: • What Is Mankind's Biggest Problem? • Why we need certainty—and how to explain this to a non-Christian • Why sin is such a problem, and how to explain this to a non-Christian • The Bible's solution to sin • How to clearly and concisely articulate the Gospel • How to transition smoothly from apologetics to evangelism This is a free, sample lecture from the Hammer & Anvil Society's Apologetics Foundations course. Get more info about this course here: https://thethink.institute/apologeticsfoundations Learn about our men's educational fellowship here: https://thethink.institute/society. ---- Please support this work! Give to the Think Institute at https://thethink.institute/partner . ---- Subscribe to the Think Institute YouTube Channel! YouTube.com/thethinkinstitute This channel will deliver even more knowledge on how to answer questions and objections to the Christian worldview! If you subscribe now, you'll get to hear the next video in this series... ---- Want to bring Joel to speak at your church or event? Go here: https://thethink.institute/booking ---- Please support this work. Donate to The Think Institute: https://thethink.institute/partner ---- Music Credits: Synth Pop Rock by WinnieTheMoog Filmmusic.io ---- Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Humanity's Biggest Problem 01:30 The Need for Certainty 03:57 The Problem of Sin 05:03 What Is Sin? 07:14 The Bible's Solution for Sin 08:13 Two Key Bible Passages 10:32 What the Gospel Requires 12:47 How Evangelism and Apologetics Are Interconnected 13:49 How to Transition to Evangelism 14:08 An Example of How to Do This 17:07 Conclusion --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/worldviewlegacy/message

Paul is on trial again, this time in front of King Agrippa:  Why Paul's testimony is a great example for Christians trying to witness to others about the Gospel What some Christians get wrong when witnessing Paul shares his testimony King Agrippa is almost convinced that Christianity is true Why it's hard for people to become Christian Why it's hard to change when the Holy Spirit convicts   Click all these links from P40: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Ko-Fi - https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries  Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop  YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle    Support babies and get quality coffee with Seven Weeks Coffee  https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40   This ministry is only made possible due to your generous support https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries

This week, Dayna Lisa of Love Faith Money is talking about grappling with temptation, even as a born again Christian, and letting go of the idea we need to be perfect. In this episode, we discuss: - Why so many people think Christians are hypocrites - What it means to actually be an example of a “good” Christian - Why there is temptation and suffering in the world and how to handle it on our faith journey MY COURSE - Holy Profit: Go from idea to paid by turning your divinely given gifts into a digital product and building a scroll stopping brand on the ‘Gram https://www.thrivewithdayna.com/offers/C9snyT6F/checkout Follow Along: Instagram // @lovefaithmoney YouTube // Love Faith Money --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reclaiming-purpose/message

This is a truly fascinating conversation with Rev Dr Jamie Franklin, a 'based vicar' and host of the Irreverend podcast. Jamie talks to Nick about: -The experience that made him become a Christian  -Why we shouldn't leave the Church of England  -What Dawkins and Sam Harris get wrong  -Why atheists believe in magic  -The flaws of evangelical Christianity  -Why beauty in art matters  -His worst failure as a Christian  And we also prove the existence of God. You're welcome. Jamie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JFronkl Irreverend Podcast: https://irreverend.buzzsprout.com Jamie's Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.com/ Nick's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickdixoncomic Nick's Substack: nickdixon.substack.com Nick's YouTube (with all Current Thing episodes): https://www.youtube.com/@nickdixoncomedy Get tickets for Weekly Sceptic Live: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-weekly-sceptic-live-tickets-600595195397 Lewis / Tolkien clip Nick mentions in the episode: https://youtu.be/NzBT39gx-TE Produced by the legendary Jason Clift.

This episode features Dr Robert Carter and Dr Jonathan Sarfati. They discuss in detail many of the facts surrounding the famous trial of Galileo and dismiss many of the associated urban myths (many of which are intentionally propagated by skeptics). They also delve more deeply into the intellectual background in the centuries leading up to Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton. Galileo was politically naïve, which got him into a lot of hot water. He was also overconfident about his ideas, while his opponents (correctly) pointed out the flaws in his reasoning. Yet, he did his best and most enduring work during those years of house arrest. The history of scientific progress and how it relates to Christian history is well worth studying and this episode will not let you down. Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) is often held up as the poster child of a supposed war between science and Christianity. The real history is much more interesting. The real clash was science vs. science, and the Church had the science of the day on its side. Several outstanding clergy-scientists in the Middle Ages discussed the earth's rotation with no repercussions. Galileo's observations were compatible with some geocentric models, such as the Capellan and Tychonian hybrid models. Kepler's model with elliptical orbits was superior to all others of the day, including Galileo's. The science that ended absolute geocentrism as a credible model occurred decades and even centuries after Galileo's death. Creation.com Talk is produced by Joseph Darnell out of the CMI-USA studios. Become a monthly contributor at our donate page. Share your thoughts in the comments and share the video with your friends! ✍️ Links and Show Notes Galileo Quadricentennial The truth about the Galileo affair Johannes Kepler: Outstanding scientist and committed Christian Why the Universe does not revolve around the Earth ‘Tides' by Dr Robert Carter ‘Geocentrism' Creation Talk episode

Patrick answers questions such as, why do Catholics worship Jesus more than God, it it okay to chew gum before communion, is it okay to attend a baby shower for an unwed mother, and is it okay to space out the time between having children Kevin – I feel like I have an evil presence inside me. What do I do? Yolie – Does the Holy Spirit speak through your conscience? Christian - Why do Catholics worship Jesus more than God? Patrick recommends “Theology for Beginners” by Frank Sheed Patrick shares an email from a listener who's been listening to him from his first broadcast Madonna - In conversation with God on the Relevant Radio app talked about a similar thing to what you mentioned today! Patrick responds to an email from a listener who needs to chew gum before communion. Is that a mortal sin? Can I attend a baby shower for an unwed mother? Shannon – Is it okay to space out the time between having children? Sandy - What is the difference in the history of the Catholic and Orthodox churches?

It's pretty obvious that people no longer have a shared understanding of principles or even reality. But did you know that this collapse of meaning is not accidental and has actually been planned for decades? Join Noelle Mering, author of "Awake, Not Woke" as we dive in to questions about wokeism. How is wokeism effectively anti-Christian Why is violence the natural outcome of this movement? Why does”tolerance,” what wokeness prides itself on, only go in one direction? Why does wokeness target the family and family structure? How can we even begin to restore such a broken society? Trust us, you do not want to miss this episode. You can find Noelle at... www.theologyofhome.com https://www.noellemering.com Book - "Awake, Not Woke" This episode is sponsored by: Loving Philomena - a small Catholic earring business on Etsy which seeks to deepen devotion to Christ through the beauty of Catholicism. Pieta Paperie - A Full-Service Catholic Wedding & Event Stationery that communicates the sacredness of the Sacraments & the richness of the Catholic faith through Beauty. If you enjoy "The Catholic Woman Podcast," please consider supporting us financially. This show wouldn't be possible without your support. For more information, visit our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/mariehanson/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marie-hanson/support

Paul shows us that the Gospel transforms our relationship as a citizen of the state. We see that for a Christian, while the ultimate allegiance is as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, it leads a Christian to submit to the state in matters that don't contradict our allegiance to God. Ultimately, this takes wisdom and discernment, but in this passage Paul shows a Christian: Why to Submit? When not to submit? How to submit?

We’re launching a series of interviews with women of each Enneagram type. But you may be wondering, “What does the Enneagram have to do with grace?” The Enneagram allows you to peel back all the behaviors, patterns, and coping mechanisms that conceal the real you. Knowing your Enneagram type allows you to recognize why you do what you do. Then you can exchange hurtful mindsets and behaviors for God-centered truth and courage. Change starts with knowledge, which invites you to bring your wounds, hurts, and fears to the feet of Christ and ask for His help.   You can only offer grace to what and who you know. So let’s know ourselves! To learn more about Enneagram Ones, go here.  In this interview, Esther and I break down: What it’s like to be an Enneagram One How to manage the tension between working with excellence and being obsessive-compulsive in the pursuit of perfection What it’s like to lead as a One The fallacy of being an “extra-special Christian” Why having fun and doing nothing is actually a spiritual practice of grace How to move away from legalism And ways to extend grace to the Ones in your life.  Key Quotes “There are times you just have to be done.” - Esther Littlefield “I’ve tried to differentiate between the effort I’ve put in and separating that from the results that come after the effort.” - Esther Littlefield “Give your effort to God and give God the results.” - Esther Littlefield “What’s amazing about grace and the gospel is that there isn’t anything I have to do. And at the same time, it feels too good to be true.” - Esther Littlefield “When you get to know God and get to know His Word, it’s easier to shift away from legalism.” - Esther Littlefield “When you think about yourself, make sure you’re speaking truth, resting in the love God has for you.” - Esther Littlefield About Esther Littlefield Esther is a writer and host of the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast as well as the Christian Woman Business Podcast. She is passionate about helping women embrace their gifts and lead with confidence. She also loves helping Christian business owners shine online and amplify their message. Esther is a pastor’s wife and mom of one. She enjoys leading women’s Bible studies, missions trips, marriage retreats, and her business team. Esther resides in Maine with her husband Scott, daughter KJ and their two cats and two leopard geckos. In her free time, you may find Esther enjoying a cup of coffee, exploring the great outdoors, or convincing her husband or a friend to take a road trip to see her favorite band, Switchfoot. Mentioned in the Podcast The Christian Woman Leadership Podcast: 5 Principles for Sharing Your Personal Conviction as a Leader (without promoting legalism) Confident Leadership Catalyst  Inner Critic Challenge  Previous Episode Mentioned Episode 7: What the Enneagram is, what it isn’t, and why it’s important to your spiritual growth Here’s how to connect with Esther Website Facebook page Facebook group Leadership podcast Business podcast  Here’s how to connect GraceInRealLifePodcast.com Instagram Facebook group Facebook page Subscribe to Jill’s weekly “the good + the grace” email

Why are you a Christian? Why do most Christians identify themselves as believers? Is there one reason that is better than the rest? J. Warner describes the nature of faith and belief in this episode of the NRBtv Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast.

It should be obvious to any watchful believer that the violent elements in the riots in some cities were instigated by the devil. It is Satan that comes to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10) All three elements of Satan’s agenda for the earth were seen in the riots and violence perpetrated by Black Lives Matters members and supporters, and by other violent groups such as Antifa. Of course, there were political reasons for the attacks. There is a mad push to destabilize the government, law enforcement, and to establish socialism by force. Hatred for all things Trump by the Democrats and the far left is the main reason in the natural, but there are spiritual implications for all this evil manifested in the streets of America. Satan failed to cause the Coronavirus pandemic to permanently shut down freedom and bring the earth under a one world government. His next step was to then let violence flow in the land and see if he can shut down a country that was based on Biblical principles (America) in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our country was not based on white supremacy as was Nazi Germany. We had godly founding fathers that believed that God was in the establishment of America. “Oh, but black slavery was a part of American society back then,” some way retort angrily. Yes, it was, as it also a part European society and in many other nations. Slavery was an ungodly institution, and it eventually led to the Civil war in America where the Democrat South fought to keep their slaves, and the Republican North fought to make the black slaves free in every respect. Yes, that part is usually ignored by many spouting off that America is essentially and fundamentally racist, a statement that is as big a lie as Satan! The Democrat party was established to continue slavery, as opposed to the Republican party that believed that all men were created equal according to our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and even the Declaration of Independence. Slavery was a part of society going back millennia. It was and is wrong to enslave other human beings, but that is not the whole truth. Many were made slaves after their country was defeated in a time of war. The vanquished often became the slaves of the nation that conquered it. Nebuchadnezzar and the conquest of all the land of Israel is a case in point. Babylonian troops conquered the land and took many thousands back to Babylon to become slaves of the kingdom. Read 2 Chronicles chapter 29-31, the Book of Daniel, and of course, the last few chapters of the book of Jeremiah.  Slavery was a very ancient institution. Slaves have existed among all colors and creeds. How about the truth that people of fairer skin were slaves of the darker skinned Egyptians? Egyptians made slaves of many tribes and people. They made slaves of the Israelites. Do you remember? It was not all black slavery. MANY were slaves that were not black Africans. It is ignorance of world history to believe that. Did you know that Nazi Germany made slaves of Jews, Poles, and many others that were not black? Read the truth in history. Don’t fall for the lies of the revisionists! Did you know that slavery was not all forced? Have you read it in the Scripture? Many sold themselves into slavery voluntarily so they could have protection, food, and lodging. Read the Bible!  The Roman Empire enslaved MANY different countries and peoples. The Persians did it. The Assyrians did it. The Philistines did it. Ancient Israel did it.The emperors of China did it. The Umayyads did it. The list goes on and on, because all ancient nations that defeated another nation took in slaves. That my friend is a historical fact. Yet, it was ONLY in the United States of America that long and bloody battles were fought to the death during the American Civil War to liberate black slaves from oppression. Why? Because one of the founding principles of our country is that we are all created equal as human beings. Black, white, or GREEN, it matters not what is the color of your skin. It is an unalienable right in our country. A bloody Civil War was not fought not in India, Russia, China, Japan, Europe, Canada, South America, Mexico, Asia, or any other nation to assure constitutional freedoms of the black people. Only in America! Don’t let leftist propaganda fool you! America is one of the least racist countries on the planet. Yes, there are a few crazies in America that believe in white supremacy, but not many when compared to other countries. In some countries, there is a strict caste system in place, few women’s rights, and some form of slavery still exists. If you don’t believe that then you probably haven’t travelled much to other parts of the world, and you believe all communist and leftist Democrat demonic propaganda. I know people from other countries that have travelled extensively, and they confirm that America is one of the least racist countries on planet Earth. South Africa was once controlled by apartheid where blacks were non-citizens. When apartheid was abolished and blacks came into power, now the opposite is true. South Africa continues to be a violently racist country of blacks ruling over the whites, often with violence, and inequality. Now whites are the oppressed minority in South Africa. Where is the outcry against the oppression of the white South Africans?  Ask anybody that is from certain Muslim countries about women’s rights in their country. Ask them about their prospective tolerance of other religions. Generally, there is NONE. Many women are not allowed vote, hold high government office, or even get a driver’s license. Ask anybody that has left communist China if there is freedom of speech or if you are free to have religious services. Try burning the Chinese flag in open protest. See what that will get you. I totally disagree in burning U. S. flags, and I think there should be some penalty for doing so to a national symbol, but not long-term imprisonment, banishment, or death! Why is it that one caste will not marry into another caste in India? Why are there violent clashes between Hindus and those of other religions in India? Tolerance? Again, the list could go on for many pages. Quit believing the humongous lie that America is fundamentally racist because it is not! How come NONE of the European countries have ever had a black man serve as their president or prime minister? Why has India never had a Christian as president? Why has Saudi Arabia never had any high governmental position held by a woman or a Christian? Why has communist China condemned or imprisoned (or tortured and killed) dissenting groups and voices in their country? Why have they suppressed Christianity, Islam, and many other religious groups? The same goes for North Korea and other countries. Shut up your mouth if you want to tell me America is racist! Whoever believes that nonsense is stupid beyond belief! America is exceptionally low on any racist and oppressive scale! I think the most oppression we have had here recently is from Democrat governors and mayors during the Covid-19 shutdowns. They were a shoe in for communist and totalitarian control of the people. It was and is disgusting to watch. They refused over and over to stop their oppressive measures. They loved the power to control the populace and didn’t want it to stop! They wanted to control and shut everything down, if possible, until the election, as a political scheme to use it to condemn and malign Trump. It was converted into a political weapon, but then something totally unexpected happened.  George Floyd died during his arrest from a heart attack and there was fentanyl and other trash in his system. Did you know he was a convicted felon? We only see video at the tail end of his arrest. I would like to see the entire arrest video and all the details come out before judging law enforcement. I remember the incident with Rodney King and how the media played ONLY the tail end of the video showing Rodney King being beaten with batons by the police. Yet, when it went to trial the officers were acquitted when the whole video was seen and showed how the police officers did everything they could restrain King FIRST, and only escalated to batons when King was acting like a crazed animal and resisted arrest. Do you remember the riots then? Do you remember the looting? It was all unjustified and it was demonically inspired violence. Peaceful protest for the death of George Floyd have turned violent because Antifa and other terrorist groups got involved for political reasons. What did all this rioting do with the quarantines, and all the stay-at home orders? They all went down the toilet! The falsehood of all the Democrat governors and mayors and their reasons for the shutdown of the economy, churches, schools (etc.) was proven to be only a political ploy! With the violent looting, shootings, and clashes, these Democrat mayors were proven to be liars. After their cities began to burn, all the shutdowns ended immediately! Did you notice that the violent riots broke out in Democrat controlled cities? How come few if any cities under a Republican mayor had any violent clashes? Hmm. Things that make you say, “Hmm.” For those that wanted to get Trump out of office November 2020, with all this nonsense during Covid-19 and the violent riots, they signed on to his reelection. They made Trump’s reelection that much easier. May the wrecking ball (TRUMP) continue to destroy and drain the vast swamp in Washington and in the U. S. government! May a new government arise that lives and breathes the Constitution and our Bill of Rights! May great repentance flow in our streets and may a revival like this world has never seen be poured out on our land! I believe it has already begun! Glory to God! _________________________________ PODCAST INFO: Matthew chapters 7 and 19, Revelation chapters 12 and 14, and John chapter 14 are at the center of this teaching, and it is powerful and will open your eyes WIDE! I quote Jesus and what the apostle John heard from the Lord in the Revelation and keep my comments to a minimum. Do you want to know what Jesus said about entering into eternal life? Let's study what He said about it! The audio podcast can be found via the button at the bottom. Be mightily blessed!    Get A Call to Return: Restoring The Roots of Our Relationship With Jesus as an ebook, softcover, or hardcover book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, Westbow Press, or order it through your favorite bookstore. From the Back Cover: A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus explores the depths of the Scriptures to excavate, refine, and lift up its words of power, revealing deep truths that will radically change the lives of believers. By tapping into this rich vein of biblical insight, Dan Alan Rodriguez offers Christians the insights to enable them to set out upon paths of discipleship that follow Jesus closely and that lead to profound experiences of His presence and power. Drawing upon the author’s study of first-century Judaism and Christianity and resting upon a diverse array of sources steeped in the foundational texts of these traditions, the twelve chapters of A Call to Return address a series of interlocking topics: a prophetic call to return; the revival of lawlessness; the revival, purpose, and preexistence of God’s commandments; the church’s commandments and their connections to faith, grace, and good works; the association of works of the law to Jewish tradition and ceremony; holiness; the fear of the Lord; each believer as a temple of the holy; and the meaning of loving the Lord Jesus. If you have a sense that Jesus’s message and ministry are calling you to embark upon a walk with Him that might take you away from all in Christianity that requires no accountability or responsibility before God, then A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus is the right book for you to read. It will give you the keys for understanding and responding to the Lord’s call to return to Him and to follow where He leads. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:29 NASB). The PDF of the entire book is free of charge! Use this link to go to the page and download it. Be mightily blessed! ____________ Faith that Receives the Grace of God is so important for you and me right now! There is an abundance of strange teaching in the area of grace. Grace has become for many a proposition "sin all you want without accountability", and a "do-nothing to receive from God." Grace for many is a rejection of Biblical moral commandments, and for others it is a denial of the words of Jesus. Grace, when it is in its right place Scripturally, is beautiful, abundant, and powerful, but it can be misused and misapplied. Unfortunately, grace is often taught wrongly. Instead of amazing grace, it has become gross, devilish, pseudo “grease” and not the Blood-bought-grace taught in the New Testament! This book was written so the Biblical perspective on faith and grace could be clearly presented by using verses in their context and according to the intent of the writers of the New Testament. If you have questions in this area, this free 266-page book is for you. Download the free PDF file here.     ______________  Tres Días y Tres Noches en el Corazón de la Tierra debe ser una parte necesaria en la vida de todo Cristiano. El libro enseña específicamente acerca del sacrificio de Jesús. Esto incluye la cruz, resurrección, y especialmente lo que tomó lugar durante las horas en que el espíritu de Jesús dejó Su cuerpo, y cuando su cuerpo fue resucitado de entre los muertos. El mundo tiene sus héroes, pero lo que Jesús hizo por nosotros lo hace el Supremo y Máximo Héroe y Conquistador de todo el universo. La derrota de Satanás, y la potestad dada a la iglesia en el Nombre de Jesucristo, fueron actos sin igual en la eternidad. No te pierdas este libro GRATIS. Ninguna película ha mostrado el verdadero sufrimiento del Maestro en el Calvario y en el centro de la tierra. Prepárate para una aventura gloriosa. Descarga el libro PDF completo usando este eslabón.   Documento portátil (PDF) es completamente gratis.  

If we apply the normal principles of biblical exegesis (ignoring pressure to make the text conform to the evolutionary prejudices of our age), it is overwhelmingly obvious that Genesis was meant to be taken in a straightforward, obvious sense as an authentic, literal, historical record of what actually happened. Written by Russell Grigg Originally published December, 1993 Helpful resources The Genesis Account The Genesis Academy Creation Answers Book Support CMI Our audio and video content are freely available but not free to produce. To support the ministry go to visit our site or simply text a donation to 84321. And thank you! Links and show notes Original article: Should Genesis be Taken Literally? Vintage Journal: Literary theory and Genesis 1: Part 2 Vintage Journal: Literary theory and Genesis 1: Part 1 Genesis: Myth or History? Is Genesis poetry / figurative, a theological argument (polemic) and thus not history? Does God have body parts? Do I have to believe in a literal creation to be a Christian? Why do you take the Bible literally? How could the days of Genesis 1 be literal if the sun wasn’t created until the fourth day? Serpentine subtlety Josephus says, ‘Genesis means what it says!’ Interpreting Genesis Did God do what He said He did? The good news Taking the Bible seriously? Genesis is history! Creation—how did God do it? Morning has broken … but when? Don’t answer—do answer! Biblical text transmitted accurately over millennia Just what we need Genesis as ancient historical narrative Aesop’s fables, anyone? Starting from Genesis or geology? Genesis as history: a discredited interpretation? Follow us (if you want) ► Facebook ► Twitter ► Instagram

What were Matthew Barrett’s motivations for writing Canon, Covenant and Christology? What is divine authorial intent and why does it expose a contradiction in evangelical hermeneutics? Why is sensus plenior essential to reading scripture like a Christian? Why is typology so critical to the unity of the canon? Why is Christ the hinge of the canon?  Why is the… Download Audio

What is the difference between a Jew and a Christian? Why does this even matter? Tune in as we return after being away for a few months and talk about the differences and similarities of these two world religions and who Jesus is to both faiths. Thank you for listening, if you want to get in touch you can email us at: hasitcrossedyourmind@gmail.com

People without Christ are dependent on people with Christ o share Christ-or they will never know Christ- In this message, Pastor Chris Chadwick answers a question that is important to every Christian- Why missions-

"We've got a little slogan at our teenage Kamp called K2 that I get to be a part of in the summertime and it's called FUAGNEM. It's not in Webster's. It just means 'Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute.' Basically it means the person who gives it all, all the time will end up winning the game."   Family Discussions: What does it mean to give it all to Jesus? What did the lesson of the perfume bottle teach you today? What do you tend to hold back for being a give-it-all Christian? Why is it so hard to have a FUAGNEM, as we say, Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute attitude when it comes to your faith in Christ? Transcription: 00:13          Well, you talk about a hero. This verse today is really a hero. Maybe you would say one of the most insignificant people in scripture, but not so to Jesus. Jesus is in Bethany and he's at the home of Simon the leper. And as he comes in there, a woman comes up to him and she takes this bottle of very costly perfume and she anoints Jesus with the bottle of perfume. And some of the followers were indignant. You know, they were like, 'Hey, you know, you could take that perfume and you could, you know, sell it and feed the poor.' But Jesus says this about that woman. I think it's a great example to you and me today in our life for Christ. He said, "Hey, leave her alone. Why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me for you always have the poor with you and you do not always have me. She's done what she could and she is anointing my body beforehand for the burial. He says, truly, I say to you, where ever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."   01:20          We've got a little slogan at our teenage Kamp called K2 that I get to be a part of in the summertime and it's called FUAGNEM. It's not in Webster's. It just means 'Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute.' Basically it means the person who gives it all, all the time will end up winning the game. I don't know the whole story behind this woman, but I imagine because she was probably very poor that she had been saving this perfume her whole life. Perhaps every birthday she had, you know, her parents would put just a little bit more perfume in the bottle. You know, in those days, that sort of thing was scarce and was very expensive. And I think Jesus basically was saying to her, you know what? Leave that girl alone. She has given me every thing that she had.   02:10          I'll never forget a Superbowl years ago that I paid close attention to because I'd been leading some Bible studies with one of the teams in the Superbowl. Well, they were beaten because the quarterback of the other team had said to his team, I will give it every cent I've ever made in the game for one Superbowl ring. That team went on the field and they creamed the team that I had been working with because they were willing to give it all. I remember my son Cooper when he was a sophomore, he was going to play high school football and in our little town that he played for sophomores don't play. And I said to him, I said, Cooper, don't expect anything this year on the varsity. They never give it sophomores. And he said, dad, I'll either get a brain concussion and I'll die or I'll start. Well, you know the end of that story after about four games, you know, they were starting him in the first playoff game. He got player of the game. Because you know what, when you want it bad enough, you know, it's probably, if it's a good goal, if it's a good incentive and God's behind it, then it's probably going to happen.   03:16          So here's the questions for today. It's one thing to give it all for Superbowls. One thing to give it all the start on your team, but what does it mean to give it all to Jesus? What did the lesson of the perfume bottle teach you today? And then the second question is this, what do you tend to hold back for being a give-it-all Christian? And then the third question is this, why is it so hard to have a FUAGNEM, as we say, Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute attitude when it comes to your faith in Christ? And the thought for the day is this. If Jesus was visiting your house today, would you give him your most prized possession whatever it is?

1. Why did you first become a Christian? Why are you a Christian now? 2. How do you know the Bible is true/reliable? 3. Why should Christians question their beliefs? Acts 17:10-12 1 Peter 3:15-16 Thanks so much for listening! Send us questions and comments on Instagram @preachers_hour Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts Culture and society from the young preachers’ perspective Music by Ryan McClarty --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/preachershour/support

Harriet Tubman was born a slave. Tubman was beaten and whipped by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate slave owner threw a heavy metal weight intending to hit another slave, but hitting her instead. This severe mistreatment led to her escaping to Philadelphia in 1859 She immediately returned to Maryland to rescue her family. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided many other slaves to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (called "Moses” by many) "never lost a passenger". “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” The sad reality is, it’s easy to become so accustomed to bondage that you no longer recognize you’re a slave. As Morpheus told New on The Matrix, “Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.” With God’s help I want to awaken you to two realities this morning: • Many of us don’t realize it, but we are slaves• Jesus is a Deliver that sets captives freeTurn to Acts 16:11• Paul’s second missionary journey• Accompanied by Silas, Timothy, Dr. Luke, and others• Led by the Spirit to go to Philippi (modern-day Greece/Macedonia) • Along the way we’ll see three different encounters with three different slaves. • Jesus is a Deliver that sets captives free.Three Main Points:• Jesus delivers slaves to religion• Jesus delivers slaves to sin• Jesus delivers slaves to circumstancesAsk yourself...• In what ways am I a slave? And how do I need to turn to Jesus for deliverance?• In what ways are those I love caught in slavery? And how do I need to point them to Jesus the Deliverer? 1) Jesus Delivers Slaves to Religion• Verses 11—14ao What does it mean that Lydia is a "worshiper of God"?• Religion!! How is religion slavery? Because you think you are free, while you remain a sinner• John 8:31-38 -- 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.• Religion + Riches is a deadly cocktail because we fool ourselves into thinking that we're fine!o Trusting in our church attendance, giving, voting records, religious posts on social media, morality, comparison to other peopleo You are not as good as you think you are!!!When you combine that with any measure of financial prosperity (which is everyone in this country) and we are just like Lydia! Your financial condition may not be a sign of God's blessing. Read Romans 1:29-2:5• MAY BE THE MOST DANGEROUS TYPE OF SLAVERY (because we don't know we're slaves) • Human response to being confronted with our slavery to religion is anger!o This is why the Pharisees hated Jesus -- end of John 8 they're picking up stones to kill Him!!!• Notice how Lydia responded...• Read verses 14b—15• God opens the heart...o Slave to religion: God must open your heart!!!!o Christian: Why we must pray!!! Parents, pray for your children Wives, pray for your unbelieving husbandso "Chase God on your knees before you chase men on your feet".• Before = don't use this as an excuse to stop sharing!God uses Paul’s words...o Spurgeon -- "Our Saviour has bidden us to preach the gospel to every creature; he has not said, Preach it only to the elect; and though that might seem to be the most logical thing for us to do, yet, since he has not been pleased to stamp the elect in their foreheads, or to put any distinctive mark upon them, it would be an impossible task for us to perform; whereas, when we preach the gospel to every creature, the gospel makes its own division, and Christ’s sheep hear his voice, and follow him." • Have you been set free to slavery to religion?o Identify with Jesus and His people (baptism, local church membership)o Devote your gifts and resources for the church (hospitality)• Are you a slave to religion? Jesus can set you free. 2) Jesus Delivers Slaves to Sin• Read Verses 16—18• Notice the Contrast:o Lydia is named, this girl isn’to Lydia is wealthy, this girl is pooro Lydia is religious, this girl is demonico Lydia learns of Jesus during a quiet Bible study, this girl learns of Jesus through a dramatic clash between supernatural powers• Jesus delivers all types of people!!!• Phrase "spirit of divination" literally reads "spirit python" in the original languageo According to Greek mythology the python was a snake that guarded the Oracle at Delphio The god of prophecy, Apollo killed the snake and took over the oracle at Delphio Eventually the term "python" came to refer to anyone who had Apollo's gift of fortune-telling • We don't know how this girl came to be in this situation, but we know this...o SIN WILL TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU WANT TO GO, KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANT TO STAY, AND COST YOU MORE THAN YOU WANT TO PAY.• Notice what she’s saying: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”o Lesson: you can say all the right things and still be a slave to sin!• Why is she speaking the truth? Perhaps to plant a false convert in the churcho Satan has two primary weapons against the church: infiltration--attack from within persecution--attack from withouto Lesson: be on guard!!!!• Main lesson: the Gospel brings freedom to the slave!!!• Can’t relate to the religious Lydia? Are you like the slave girl?• • How we become enslaved...o Sexual sin (fornication, pornography, etc.)o Substances (Drugs/Alcohol/Food)o Bitternesso Worryo Pride Greatest evidence that you're a slave to pride is if you've been thinking about all the other people in the room who are slaves instead of looking in the mirroro Romans 6:16--Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?o SIN WILL TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU WANT TO GO, KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANT TO STAY, AND COST YOU MORE THAN YOU WANT TO PAY.• MAY BE THE MOST OBVIOUS TYPE OF SLAVERYo Even if we keep our slavery a secret, we know in our hearts that we're slaves!o All our efforts to free ourselves are like a vehicle stuck in the mud. The harder we try to get ourselves out, the more stuck we become.o LOOK TO JESUS!!!• This doesn’t always mean instant deliverance like this slave girl. Sometimes it’s a long, hard road to learn to live in light of our freedom.o If you're stuck, get help today. Talk to someone!o Sin is like a cockroach, it hates the light! Warning: not everyone responds positively when Jesus delivers slaves to sin...• Read Verses 19-24o Lesson: If you’re living for what you can get in this life, you may quickly find yourself opposing Jesus!!• Are you a slave to sin? Jesus can set you free. 3) Jesus Delivers Slaves to Circumstances• Read Verses 25-27o Crisis strikes this jailer’s lifeo Explain: Roman law stated that soldiers who lost their prisoners were subject to the same penalty that was due their prisonerso He’s ready to give up! His life is ruled by his circumstanceso MAY BE THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF SLAVERY• Slaves to circumstances...o Are happy when things are goodo Complain/get angry/give up/are depressed/bitter when things are badWhat the slave to circumstances needs...• Read Verses 28-34• Repent and believe!!!• What about Christians? Why do we still struggle with this?!?• Philippians 4:11-13 -- I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.• Easy to say, harder to do!!!When you're walking with Jesus, even when it looks like you're in bondage you're free!!! Read v. 25o But these guys aren't pushovers!!!• Read verses 35-40o Tough and tenderAre you a slave to your circumstances? Jesus can set you free. Warning: Conversion does not make us forever immune to slavery! • Galatians 5:1 -- For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.• We can return to bondage to religion, sin, and circumstances• SONS VS SLAVES SHEET• Repent and be restored!Story is told of a wealthy man who went to a slave market where he noticed a young woman being auctioned off to the highest offer. He bid on her and won. He could see the anger in the young woman’s eyes and could imagine what she was thinking, "another master will buy me, use me, and then discard me." As the wealthy man walked off with the woman, he turned to her and said, ‘You’re free’. ‘Yeah. What does that mean?’ she replied. ‘It means that you’re free.’ ‘Does it mean I can say whatever I want to say?’ ‘Yes,’ replied the wealthy man, smiling, ‘it means you can say whatever you want to say.’ ‘Does it mean,’ she asked incredulously, ‘that I can be whatever I want to be?’ ‘Yes, you can be whatever you want to be.’ ‘Does it mean,’ the young woman said hesitantly, ‘that I can go wherever I want to go?’ ‘Yes, it means you are free and you can go wherever you want to go.’ ‘Then,’ said the woman with tears welling up in her eyes, ‘I think I’ll go with you.’ When you've truly been delivered by Jesus you want to follow Him!

Does God listen to the prayers of people that are not saved (Christian)? Why do we say “in Jesus’ name” and “Amen” at the end of our prayers. Is it more “holy” to pray out loud than to pray silently? When should we stop praying about something? The key focus of this passage will be the Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11:1-10

Message Notes October 6, 2019 | Teacher: Ken wilson Message SlidesWITNESSES: The Spread of the Gospel in the Book of ActsCorinth: Confusing Congregation and Country(Acts 18:1-17) Corinth: Now and ThenPaul’s PartnersWitnesses make disciples wherever they go.(18:1-3)Paul’s PreachingSome witnesses focus their full attention on evangelismregardless of the response of the people.(18:4-8)Paul’s PromiseThe Lord is with every witness always,even to the end of the age.(18:9-11)Paul’s PersecutionThe opposition of religious people to the Gospel of grace is relentless.(18:12-13)Paul’s ProtectionIn the end, witnesses will be protectedand persecutors will be punished.(18:14-17) Lessons for Witnesses:Witnesses proclaim the gospel of graceand are ultimately vindicated when persecuted.Next Steps• I will pray for God to bring someone into my life I can disciple. • I will glory in suffering when it is for the sake of the gospel. This Week’s Growth GuideGod’s Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.• Monday - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9• Tuesday - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17• Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31• Thursday - 1 Corinthians 2:1-16• Friday - Acts 18:18-28Home ChurchOur Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another. Home Church helps our body seek God’s best for one another. Home Church Questions • Read Acts 18:1-17. • What was the main point of the message this week? • Was there anything new, interesting, insightful, or even unclear from the message? • What was your main takeaway from this week’s message? • What kind of experience have you had with being discipled or discipling someone else? • Do you think making disciples is an option for a Christian? • Why is rejection so difficult to endure? How do we respond in ways that are not very Christ-like? • Was Paul being judgmental when he told the Jews, “Your blood is on your own heads”? What do you think hemeant? • How do we explain God’s protection when some Christians are martyred? • Do you know any stories that ended like this one? AT FELLOWSHIP Fellowship Kids Pumpkin Patch One of Fellowship’s yearly family fun events! Meet us at Schaefers & Collins Pumpkin Patch Saturday, October 19, 10-12:00 p.m. The cost for a hayride and picking a pumpkin is $7 per child, adults who ride are $2.00. Cash and checks accepted. Equipping Ministry Need help in an area of your spiritual life? We have you covered. Join us in the Atrium after service, or check out all the classes at https://www.fellowshipconway.org/equipping. Check out what is about to launch:Discover You - Have you ever felt you have more to offer…at work, at home, at church, in life? This small group experience will help you discover, optimize and unleash the resources God has placed inside you. Your “SHAPE” is the unique combination of your personality, strengths, skills, gifts and passion. This 7-week guided discovery journey is supported by video content and proven assessments that inform personal reflection and group discussion, with input from a trained Coach. Sundays, beginning today, during the 10:45 service. Apologetics and Worldview - Are you prepared to defend your beliefs when challenged? Understanding the Christian worldview and applying it to challenges, helps us navigate our world by discovering truth in a post-truth culture. In this course you will be trained to think clearly when you are on the battlefield of ideas. Sundays, beginning October 13, during the 10:45 service. Bible Study Methods - The goal of Bible study as a whole is to make application of the Scripture to our lives while the goal of interpretation, within Bible study, is to discover the meaning of the text. Only after we know the meaning of a text can we understand the significance that a specific text has for us. In this 6-week course you will learn that the Bible has one interpretation or meaning, with many applications. Sundays, beginning October 13 during the 10:45 a.m. service.The Core - Whether you are struggling to articulate your beliefs, or just need a refresher in Fellowship’s Core Doctrines, this course is for you. We will take six weeks and walk through our core beliefs and help build a theological foundation that supports them. Begins October 13 during the 10:45 a.m. service. Home church Get connected, join a small group! Fellowship continues to connect people in relationship through our small group ministry called Home Church. Contact Michael Harrison at mharrison@fellowshipconway.org to get connected. Fall Luncheon A Fall Luncheon to honor our widows and ladies living alone will be held Wednesday, October 9, 12:00 p.m. at 3680 Gresham Drive (home of Ambra Austin). Join us for a time of fun and fellowship. RSVP to Ambra, 501-730-6795 or Page, page.mckelvy@gmail.com.Pray for Mission Trips This week, we have five ladies heading to Germany to work in the area of human trafficking and a three person team heading to Nicaragua to equip pastors. Please pray for both teams that God would use them to further His Kingdom. Generations CampaignTotal Pledge 1,579,152Received-to-date 1,177,149Click Here if you would like to give a gift.To make a gift or a commitment to Generations, you can click Here.FinancesWeekly Budget 25,650Giving For 9/22 39,720Giving For 9/29 23,878YTD Budget 39,101YTD Giving 334,577Over (under) (24,524)Generations CampaignTotal Pledge 1,579,567Received-to-date 1,208,058

WINNING THE BATTLE FOR THE MINDBible Study Verses: Proverbs 4:23, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Proverbs 23:7, Matthew 22:37, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 1 Peter 1: 13-16, Romans 12:1-2, James 4:8, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Phil. 2: 5-10, Psalm 119:97-99, John 10:17, Hebrews 5:8. “The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility...According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of MIND.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Broadcast BBC, 1942 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12.2 NASB. What are spiritual strongholds? What weapons should Christians use in the battle for minds? What are at least 7-important attributes of the mind? What are the forces that are attempting to control the thinking of people even in the church? How is one’s reactions to daily life challenges influenced? What is the best influencer for the Christian? Why must we fight the battle for the minds of believers? What is the difference between the battle FOR the mind and the battle OF the mind? What controls the future of a mind? What are 5-important positive characteristics that the mind makes possible? What makes change possible? Pastor Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on Sept. 28th, 2019 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible. GOT 190928 Episode #88 COVER ART CREDIT: Photo by Etty Fidele, art direction by gil on his mac. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

PulpTheology Book "Read this book to learn more about being a Christian" G’day! The book this week is "Read this book to learn more about being a Christian." Welcome to this little book about being a Christian! This little book is volume 3 of our series, "Read this book". Inside there is something for you, regardless of who you are. Together we look, learn and investigate what being a Christian is all about. We seek to answer questions such as: What is a Christian? Why am I Christian? What happens now that I am a Christian? What does that big scary word "evangelism" really mean? How can I go on developing my intimate relationship with God? Whether you have not started the Christian journey yet, you are just starting your journey as a Christian, or have been a Christian for a while, you can either learn afresh or be reminded about what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century. Come on in! "Read this book if you want to learn more about Being A Christian" available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle with ISBN: 978-1975603120 Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can purchase this book at Amazon USA on this link: You can purchase this book at Amazon UK on this link: Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Is there such a thing as the 'perfect' Christian? Why do we keep adding to the 'list' of things that a perfect Christian is supposed to do, or be... and why doesn't that match up with the day to day reality for most Christ followers?

On this celebratory episode of NMB Takoyaki Party, we have a lot small news to talk about including Iso-chan and Aicha's graduation announcements, Miru's photobook release, Queentet summer tour and more! A retired idol fan and podcast host also stops by to recount his experience from Sayaka's Okinawa live. We continue our discussion of NMB's "Episode 1" series and put a call for requests for which episode of Episode 1 should be given the Teppen Subs treatment. Lastly, we answer some listener questions with topics ranging from our favorite non-NMB members and an interesting "what if" scenario. If you would like to send us a question to answer on the show, please do so by posting it in the Youtube comments or sending it to us on Twitter.   Matt -@matto_matt0 Ryan - @frowndog06 Geoff - @GeoFreak17   3:42 - Hayashi Momoka Fashion Book 7:11 - Ota Yuuri Photobook DVD/Blu-Ray 11:06 - NMB48 BII at TIF and Summer Station 15:45 - Danceable Performance 23:20 - Queentet Summer Tour Announced and YouTube Channel 30:40 - Miru's Photobook! 39:33 - AKS sells NMB back to Yoshimoto Kyoraku 46:10 - Iso Kanae Graduation Announcement 49:30 - Osawa Ai Graduation Announcement   1:01:28 - Break   1:02:00 - Shion wins the SHOWROOM streaming contest 1:06:27 - Ota Yuuri places 6th in the "best looking" senbatsu 1:08:00 - Jonishi Kei joins GALAPAGOS talent agency 1:09:05 - Jonishi Rei's magazine shoots 1:13:30 - Yamamoto Sayaka's 2nd Single Announced!   1:19:00 - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with a special guest who went to Sayaka's live in Okinawa 1:40:30 - NMB48 "Episode 1" Discussion    2:01:36 - QUESTION: Who are you are your favorite non-NMB members?  2:11:46 - QUESTION: They printed more Yuuri photobooks? 2:12:36 - QUESTION: Is Yoshida Akari a Christian? Why did she call her style book the bible? 2:13:37 - QUESTION: How many apple do you think you could collectively eat in one sitting? 2:17:39 - QUESTION: Jerrison Oracion sends in a bunch of questions including a very interesting "What if" scenario: Miru and Sae ended up getting into IZONE, what would NMB and Queentet be like today?     You can also subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify. Search for "NMB Takoyaki Party"       For the "contest" portion if we get 150 subscribers on Youtube we will sub the number 1 most requested episode. If we get 200 subscribers, we will sub the second most requested episode. Below are the episode numbers and their premises.   1: Love Story 2: Sports Story 3: Gourmet Story 4: Superhero Story 5: Yakuza Story 6: Detective Story 7: Giant Monster/Kaijuu Story 8: Zombie Love Story 9: Manga Adaptation Story 10: Gambler Story 11: Romance Story 12: TBD

Christian Romo asks us 3 questions he has been asked once by a friend: Why are you Christian? Why do you preach the Gospel? Why do you make disciples? Let us hear and be encouraged by the word of God through our brother Christian Romo from Chile. Eph 1:3-14 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Download this Episode This week we discuss how to keep a real estate transaction moving forward. Listen in to hear ways to keep a real estate transaction on track to closing. Rethink Real Estate Podcast Transcription Audio length 30:43 RTRE 57 –  Keeping the Real Estate Transaction Under Control [music] [Chris] Welcome to re:Think Real Estate, your educational and hopefully entertaining source for all things real estate, business, news and tech.  [Christian]: I am Christian Harris in Seattle, Washington. [Nathan]: Hi, I am Nathan White in Columbus, Ohio. [Chris]: And I am Chris Lazarus in Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks for tuning in.  [music] [Chris]: Hey everybody and welcome back to re:Think Real Estate. We're so happy to have you here this week. We've got Nate back. He is not selling homes right now. We've got Christian here and as always here to talk real estate and all thing real estate related. So just before getting started we were talking about how agents can control the transaction better and make deals go smoothly for our clients. Nate you are always taking listings. What are some things that you are doing to make sure that you are on top of the transaction? [Nathan]: Well again I was start thinking about this a little bit more before we got to recording here but I…again I think you as an individual…we all have different types of personalities but it also setting an expectation to our client. Right. Whether you are the list side or the buy side but you have to set that tone up front.  I am a little bit of a controller. Actually a lot but I like to control the situation. You have to have confidence and knowledge in what you're doing to do all that but that is the way I operate. Most of my clients appreciate that. And the reason I brought this us is because I have got a buddy I met the other day. He is a lender and another lender he knew was taking a beating because unfortunately buyers are liars and this buyers agent is calling and is literally in Ethany [phonetics] and all over the phone. And you know at a certain point you gotta tell a client you know whether you're the agent or you are the agent or the client and your client is the buyer or lister, you gotta have control over the certain things you can't do.  For that lender the agent was his client, I would have fired him. I wouldn't have taken that you know, it is just the way it goes. Same thing, I don't tolerate certain things from my clients. I mean we call it respect. You know a lot of people like to whine in our business but it is OK to lose a client. It is OK not to get every client. And I think we often forget that. It is kind of one of that win at all cost mentality maybe. I don't like that. [Chris]: And I think if you are winning at all cost you are not factoring in what makes this industry fun, it is being able to enjoy it. [Nathan]: Yeah. [Chris]: So obviously yeah I mean I feel like you are at the point in your career where yeah you can choose and have the option to fire your clients. But why was it…why do you think it got to that point in the transaction where the agent was calling and cursing at the lender? [Nathan]: Again, you know, I have said this before in our podcast. We want to be emotional. And I have always…I think the best thing I was ever taught when I got in this industry is to take my emotion out of it. [Chris]: Amen to that. [Nathan]: We realtors…You know I am gonna beat us up but as I have said the large majority we just love to feel so important, right? We love to know that “Hey look at me, hey look at me. I am an awesome, awesome relator. I am an awesome realtor”. Like… [Chris]: “Let me tell you about me. Let me tell you about me. It is all about me. Really what do you think about me”.  [Nathan]: Yeah. And so take the emotion out of it. You know, I don't know. [Christian]: Why do you…why do you suppose…I mean I have my thoughts on this. Why do you suppose he thought it was acceptable and call the lender and cuss him out and get all emotional about it? [Nathan]: Well the guy is an [censored] [laughter]. If he were listening, that is what I would tell him. Right.  [Christian]: OK.  [Nathan]: Bottom line is whether we are in realty or not you don't treat other people that way. Like you know… [Christian]: Why… [Nathan]: Yeah why did he treat somebody that way? Probably because he had really bad parents I don't know. [laughter]. [Christian]: Yeah I mean… [Chris]: A lot of people don't think about other people as actual beings. Human. I think that si the problem. [Christian]: I mean and I am on that. Obviously treat people as humans. Treat them with respect. But you know when it comes to like being professional in this industry I mean there is a lot of things that I like to push back on in industry like you know our job is to be the rock when our clients are emotional and deals you know on the brink of falling apart. I mean if we get emotional I mean I don't know any of you…I mean I know you guys have kids. I know that when I am near my kid's emotions and he is getting all ramped up and I am ramped up, that doesn't help. [Chris]: That makes it worse. [Christian]: Worse. But I mean if I can be a consistent calm and I am able to bring it back down to like “OK let's look at the reality of things if you know…” But I think a lot of agents kind of lose their cool because they think “I am advocating for my client. I am passionate when I am doing my job”. No no you are just being a [censored] and you are [censored] things up for your client.  [Nathan]: Yeah well said. [Chris]: So that gets to a great point on helping to control the conversation to control the transaction. Is controlling emotion. [Christian]: Definitely. [Chris]: Because if we can control our emotion and understand that when we are interacting with a client it is a very…they are in a heightened state of emotion. Right. Buying a…Buying a real estate parcel, right a house or a commercial or whatever it is, is extremely stressful for people because they have a lot invested in it. It is a lot of money. It is a big transaction.  So if something bad happens they are gonna think it is the worst thing in the world even if it is just you know a small hiccup. If something miniscule like good happens they are gonna think it is the best thing in the world. So if we can just kind of maintain a level of neither good nor bad on the emotional scale than holy hell like that really can do exactly what it does for your kid Christian. It is just like calm. When something bad goes on don't worry. Got it under control.  [Nathan]: I…you know I wasn't here the last episode we recorded because I had a deal going sideways. Even my client's father flew in from Boston. He was… [Chris]: To help the deal or to ruin the deal.  [Nathan]: Well at first I thought was honestly he was gonna ruin it. He was very emotional. It was his son's house. It is you know a lot of things going sideways on this.  [Chris]: Yeah. [Nathan]: And you know he called me “What are we gonna do?”. And now we're just [inaudible] we're great. We're good buddies now. But I said “We're gonna work the problem.” “What do you mean?” I said “We're gonna work the problem. Work the problem”. I mean we get…this is 3 days of craziness in my life here recently. And he called me and said “Man I gotta tell you kept your cool.” Yeah I did because me getting upset is exactly what Christian said. It is just gonna make everybody else upset.  .So I am..I am like the captain of the ship right. If I am freaking out everybody else is freaking out. I am you know…It was not fun. But we got through it. And now here is a gentleman that like he is my biggest advocate that I could possibly have now. But I think if I would have reacted the way he was initially reacting it was gonna be really, really bad 3 days for me. And it turned out an Ok 3 days, you know what I mean. [Chris]: Yeah you gotta control that. [Nathan]: Yeah. [Chris]: That is definitely one thing that agents can do in a transaction to kind of control the tone, control the pace. It is just control our own emotions because whether you want to believe it or not people are gonna mimic you. That is just how it happens. So obviously in the deal that you mentioned Nate the agent got upset with the lender. Obviously something at some point was not communicated clearly. Because if the lender had all the information and the agent had all the information and the buyer was given all the information than usually…I don't see a circumstance where somebody is gonna yell at somebody. Christian… [Christian]: It sounds like there is an unmet expectation there. I don't know. [Chris]: Yeah it sounds like it. So Christian when you are working with a buyer and you've got all these different wheels that are moving more so than with the seller, what are some things that you are doing to set expectation with people? [Christian]: Yeah I mean I say setting expectations specifically but communication in general that is probably the most important thing you can do as a real estate agent. [Chris]: I agree. [Nathan]: Yeah. [Christian]: Because you can be a terrible agent and totally incompetent but if you can communicate well you look like you're doing your job. You know now whether or not you do the back end and actually have knowledge and stuff that is all a different thing but you can be a rock star agent and know exactly what you're going but if your communication sucks your agent is gonna think you suck. [Chris]: It is like you're up on a show. You've got the curtain right and the clients are seeing what is in front not what is behind. [Christian]: right. And so that is a long answer to basically say I am mister kind of control freak I have got processes for everything. And part of the process is this template email as part of my CRM and first thing we do “Hey we are under contract. OK here is the 5 things you are gonna expect, here is what comes next, here is what we're gonna be doing for you in the next 3 days. Here is what you are gonna be doing”. You know. And after we get past our expectance commencing here is what it is gonna look like.  You know now that is not the only communication but that is like it sets the expectations up front you know because you get a contract and now there is a whole bunch of stuff going on and now they're stressing out. You know I can't be on the phone with them every 10 minutes you know and call them off the ledge. But if you set these expectations and say “This is what happens and this is what we're doing.” And you know checking in with them whenever there is a new bench mark. That has a calming effect you know on them as opposed to they don't hear anything. [Nathan]: Oh yeah you don't have to do a lot. I mean I send out Friday updates. That is what I call it. Friday updates. Every Friday I touch my clients no matter where we are. Just to give them something right. But I mean Christian you hit…all your points were spot on. Maybe you should just have the Christian Harris school of mentoring real estate agents [laughter]. All people can learn from that. [Chris]: Definitely. [Nathan]: You know communication is key. So…I am with you on that one. I am seeing great agents who know everything very well but they are horrible communicators. [Christian]: And to your point Nathan I mean, part of that communication is even if nothing is going on once a week touching in. I do my touching on Monday because typically like if you are working on a listing that is when it is going to be the most information that we can pass. So I do my updates on Mondays. The point is going on “Hey there is nothing going on and I just want you to know so that you are not wondering what is going on”.   [Chris]: Yeah for both of you to reach out and tell somebody nothing has changed, is one of the key differentiators that I have seen for people who are successful  and who are not. Because if you are having that communication level when nothing is happening they know “Oh OK nothing is happening but I am not hearing silence”. Because it is when the seller or the buyer, they hear silence that is when they get in their own head. And they start thinking “Well is this agent really doing things in my best interest. Are they really working on my behalf”. [Christian]: You have to interfere with the doubt and the emotions kind of you know. [Chris]: It comes in the silence. Exactly. Awesome so we're getting about halfway through the episode right now. I want to…we are trying out a new segment called re:Think Realty bonus thoughts where we have a topic to discuss that none of us have seen before. We're just pulling it out of an envelope. So this one is “Things seen in houses.” I am really not sure. I guess we're just supposed to talk about things that we have seen in houses. Things like “Where is Waldo”. Print frames. Eye level in the bathroom. Things like that. Blurred out dog face on a listing photo. [Christian]: So like funny or unique things that we have seen? Is that like… [Chris]: Yeah what are some unique things that you have seen in homes that you have listed? [Christian]: I have seen atrocious staging and unfortunately it was one of my first listings when I was trying out a stager so… [Chris]: Was it really? [Christian]: I had to fire that stager and the stager I use now was the person that came in like 2 days noticed and saved the day. But yeah I have seen that. I have noticed that you want to make sure you have a local stager. Here in Seattle we've got a couple of…Well we've got a lot of island like 107 islands. And one of the…I had a friend who had a mom who does staging so I gave her a hot but she was from one of the islands and she came over and did it and her idea of staging was weaker in floral prints. And it made it look like a grandma's house and it was not gonna fly in Seattle. [Chris]: Wow. [Christian]: That is unfortunately that was kind of my fault but that was something I have seen that was atrocious and made sure it didn't get to the listing photos and that was a learning experience. [crosstalk]. I am sorry? [Chris]: What do you got Nate? What is something you have seen in a house? [Nathan]: Guns. [laughter] [Christian]: Alright. [Nathan]: No, yeah I mean like literally guns just laying out around the house. [Chris]: Oh yeah I have seen that. [Nathan]: Like hand guns and rifles. And magazines in the club. I love guns don't get me wrong but I have got clients who have a kid with me and I am like “Holy snap” like you know what's going on. Like… [Christian]: That is a different world in Ohio I guess. [Chris]: It is not just Ohio we've got that in Georgia too. I have walked through homes and opened up a closet and boom there is a shotgun just sitting right there.  [Nathan]: That is…the oddest…[crosstalk] [Chris]: Yeah so one of the oddest things that I have ever seen in a home is in a basement they…put in multiple urinals in a restroom.  [Christian]: Like a restroom? [Chris]: Like a bathroom but then they…When they finished the basement they made it like a big bathroom with like 3 urinals but no divider. Really, really weird I have no idea why. [Christian]: Were they having like a fight club in the basement?  [Chris]: Yeah yeah it was really weird. I ended up not getting that listing. Because I don't think he liked what I said about marketing that. [Nathan]: Have you guys ever been in a home where they have pad locks on all the doors on the exterior like on a bedroom? [Chris]: I have seen that one. [Christian]: That is creepy as hell.  [Nathan]: I saw that a few weeks ago and I was like “That is really weird”.  [Chris]: Yeah.  [Christian]: I wouldn't want to know what they do. [Chris]: You are either doing some child abuse there or you just got a lot of guns in that room. [Christian]: It's sketchy. [Chris]: Whatever it is. Yeah it is in the living room [laughter]. “You are not getting into my living room. This is mine”. It could be like one of those…Did you all see the listing that it was making the rounds on a few weeks ago, the sex dungeon in the basement? [Nathan]: Awesome. [Chris]: Yeah I mean just things like that.  [Christian]: Yeah like the brokerage had some pretty fun stuff, the lighter side of real estate had some pretty funny things like that.  [Chris]: Yeah definitely the things that they come up with that is absolute hilarity. I can't believe that you know when Kellen [phonetics] when he did his deal to our show got picked up by lighter Real Estate. It was… [Christian]: That was awesome. [Chris]: It was in one of the shows. OK so yeah re:Think Real Estate bonus thoughts. Giving it a shot. Tell us what you think. Make sure you leave us a review on iTunes for anybody listening. I…shoot us a comment either on our Facebook page or on the website on rtrepodcast.com.  So back to today's topic which was the agent's control of the transaction. Where they can make a big impact. Nate what is one of the most impactful things that you find you are able to do for your clients outside of communication and setting expectations? [Nathan]: I don't know. This…I mean it sounds weird but just being upfront and honest. I feel like…I feel like there are so many agents that just are not forthcoming. Do you know what I mean? [Chris]: Yeah. [Nathan]: Again it is the win at all cost or lie at all cost just to get the listing. I mean I just went on a listing in an apartment a couple of weeks ago and she walked me up in the room and she said “Nate what do you think about this room”. I started to laugh and she said “What is funny?” And I said “This is a [censored] ugly room”.  And that is all [laughter] I said all these things in here and in the bathroom too and she starts laughing and I say “What is so funny Jane?” And she says “I have had 3 other agents in here and none of them have had the balls to tell me what I already knew.” [laughter]. She said “I love that you already told me that it is ugly”. She said “I know it is ugly but everybody else says this is gorgeous, this is lovely, we will do this to make it look like this”. She is like “It is an ugly room. Why won't somebody just tell me the truth?” And I told her the truth and guess who got the listing?  [Chris]: There you go. There you go. [Nathan]: Tell the truth. If they don't like the truth than they will hire somebody else that will tell them whatever lie they want to hear. [Chris]: And if you feel like you're not up to telling somebody “This is a [censored] ugly room”. You don't have to say it like that.  [Christian]: You can be more diplomatic to be honest. [Chris]: Yeah be more diplomatic. [Christian]: That is not Nate's style. [Nathan]: That is not my style lets be honest. [Chris]: Just so that our audience knows. You don't have to do it Nate's way. You can tell somebody “No this room may not be up to the aesthetics as the rest of the house. We probably won't focus our marketing efforts on this room”. [Christian]: Or “You can burn this room down”. Or something like that. [Chris]: Yeah. Or “We could put up some fumigation label outside so nobody comes in”. Whatever it may be, but yeah on that line with honestly I think one thing agents have sometimes gotten self-caught up in is when they find something that they don't know they will try and [censored] their way out of it. Instead of saying “I don't know, let me get you the answer. We will make sure that we do this the right way”.  And people feel like you know winning at all cost they want to feel like the expert they always want to be in the expert shoes, they don't want to step back and admit you know, “There might be something I don't know here”. You know that is kind of one thing that I think goes a long way in controlling the transaction is don't be afraid to admit where there is something that you haven't dealt with. That is why it is important to have a good team unless you are Nate. In which case you are solo.  But if you've got a good team or resources or you know even friends and people that you respect in the industry and people that you can reach out to as long as they're you know you are following your broker's direction, you are making sure that everything is legal and ethical. I don't think we have to cover that at this stage in the game.  But yeah just making sure that where your shortcoming are you are not [censored] through them. Christian what do you think are some things that you now can help control the situation a little bit more throughout the transaction especially due diligence, getting into financing and getting up to the posing table? [Christian]: Sure so I mean there is obviously like a minimum standard of what an agent has to do. I am more like how much can I do to help an agent. You know. So for us you know I mean like we all know that is…you know good buyers. You know it is the buyers responsibility as part of their…you know once they get a contract and they're talking to a lender and get all the documents they need and stuff. They need to reach to interns company and get a policy in place and that kind of stuff.  But like that is not really on our shoulders but I still make it a point to you know a day or 2 after to send out an email and say “Hey this is a reminder, these is the things that you need to do. Make sure you get your lenders documents at town manor, make sure you get a quote on home insurance because they can't hold an appraisal before you do”. You know just stuff that is not necessarily in my ball part but it helps them know that, like “These are things that you need to do as part of the process”.  [Chris]: Yeah and going an extra mile is huge. We've got a lot of good feedback ever since we started implementing move easy, which ties into our transaction management system. So move easy when our agents mark that their client is under contract they get this digital check list and resource bank that tells them everything that they need to do during the move from “Don't forget to order your moving supplies, don't forget to line up your child care, you're getting all your pet immunizations” whatever it might be. We put all of it in a checklist and our agents…our clients seem to love it. For those that take advantage of it. [Christian]: And that as I recall it is free for agents right? [Chris]: Well it has to be set up on a brokerage level but yes it is free. [Christian]: So talk to your broker about setting it up for you. Or if you do something like client giant you know per agent they do kind of that concierge. They take care of all your utilities and that is helpful too. [Chris]: That's awesome yeah. And that was Jay O'Brien [phonetics] we had him on last year. Definitely a great episode to go and listen to about providing what was it 7 start service in a 3 start industry? [Christian]: Yes. 5 start service and 3 star…7 start... [Nathan]: 7 star… [Chris]: 7 star in a 3 star. [Christian]: It's a good… [Chris]: Yeah it's a good one. He's a really good person to listen to as well.  [Christian]: Yeah for the service yeah.  [Chris]: Yeah I mean there is so many things that we can do to go above and beyond. You know in Georgia the typical transaction is byer gets contract. Contract gets due diligence. Due diligence gets home inspection. After home inspection there is no other inspection done. They may be right on. I have never seen anybody do a lot of base paint test. They just kind of waive that and you know that is it.  But there is so many other things that we can do. We can advise for air quality testing if there are allergies present which that I have seen happen. Partnering them with an insurance agent to make sure that the home is insurable and check for what the previous claims are. Like getting a clue report pulled. All of these things are huge and can make a big impact in not only your client experience but also controlling the situation, making sure that things are discovered before we get too far. So that at the last minute when we get to the closing table things are reared in their ugly head.  [Christian]: So speaking of kind of above and beyond just us doing our jobs for our clients, I mean what are you guys thoughts about health warranties? Typically I have written those off because they are so limited typically. As far as what they replace in the time frame. But like recently I helped a friend of mine buy a house kind of outside of my normal area a little farther outside in Takoma. And the recommended inspector from some of my you know, agent friends down there, they actually include a very inclusive home warranty that I was very impressed with.  And no extra charge you know like because they already did the inspection on the roof so they guarantee the roof is gonna hold for 5 years and appliances for this long and you know all these extra stuff that seems like a real value add for no additional money either to your pocket or out of their pocket. But what are you guys thoughts on hat? [Nathan]: I mean here in Ohio it is long. A seller typically pays for home warranty. I like them but I like to choose it because there are certain home warranties that have what they are called caps or limitations on what they will cover. And if you know those I don't think that is a good value. The ones that I typically go with on home warranty has no caps. The other side of it form a listing side is they have seller protection from the moment we put that house on the market, the items are covered in warranty. But I think you have to articulate to your client that a home warranty is good for your major stuff. [Chris]: Yeah sure. [Nathan]: Your HVAC furnace. [Chris]: Sometimes. [Nathan]: Yeah well OK again here they're smart like don't go and have a home warranty claim when you had an inspection that said it was bad right. That is not the way to do it so… [Chris]: And on top of that if you have a 25 year old HVAC system it is not gonna pay for a brand new system if it [censored] out. It will have a maximum amount that it will pay towards but on a 25 year old system it is gonna not cover that switch over from you know what was it our 20 to now 4 10A or whatever the new coolant is. So you got explain that to your clients.  Again back to what Nate was saying. Expectation setting. Back to what Christian was saying. Expectation setting. Making sure that everybody understands where the value is when they get it. [Christian]: So what you're saying is that home warranty can be of value just make sure you do your research that is actually a quality home warranty that provides something. [Chris]: Yeah. [Nathan]: 100%. [Chris]: On the first home that my wife and I ever purchased, 3 months in the stove shorted out. It came out 50 dollar call, rewired the entire thing and it worked fine. It is still in that home. But that was a lot less than it would have been you know to have you know a new stove or bring out an electrician so it has its values. [Nathan]: Yeah yeah, I just had to call a client and we were 2 days outside of closing an she was the seller and the hot water tank failed. We had seller protection on it. Guess what 65 dollar call, brand new hot water tank. [Chris]: There you go. [Christian]: Save your 500 dollars. [Nathan]: Saved probably more than that and you know she was already stressed out and called the client. I said “Let's have home warranty take care of that”. Again if you know what you're getting can be a great value. But… [Chris]: Absolutely.  [Nathan]: There are a lot of junk ones. [Chris]: And all of this…yeah all of this goes in line with taking control of the transaction and making sure that we are directing it in a way to get it to the closing table and we are directing it in a way that is in our client's best interest.  [Christian]: Yeah and speaking of staying in control of that transaction one of the things that I see…I moved to a whole other topic on this whole episode, but is that you know what do you do to continue to provide value and stay in front of your clients after closed? Or what the agent is gonna feel at that? [Nathan]: That is a whole episode.  [Chris]: Yeah that is a whole episode. Why don't we get into that next week [laughter]?  [Christian]: OK well I will give a little teaser than. [Chris]: Let's give a teaser and we will get into it next week.  [Christian]: What we started to do is a sort of called home button and that has been great because it is cheap. Right now it is only 25 dollars. You know, to use it and you get it for 500 clients. But basically it provides every month to your home buyer, it provides them with an automated like “Here is what your home is worth and if you refine,  this is what it would look like, if you are AIRBNBed one of your rooms this is the value if you added 300 dollars a month extra payment you know you would pay this much less over the course of yadayada”. So basically provides all these really easy to understand analytics for a client's house that is branded to you.  [Chris]: Awesome.  [Christian]: And instead of you know you sending out some junk email drip thing every month where they probably don't even look at, here is something that directly relates to their house that they're probably gonna look at it. And you can see all the analytics and back end when they're click on it. [Chris]: Thanks for tuning into re:Think Real Estate. Make sure you join us next week as we talk about how to provide value post-closing and control that relationship into the future. Christian you gave a great teaser on that. For anybody who hasn't please go to rtrepodcast.com. Sign up for the newsletter so you never miss when we drop an episode and leave us a 5-star review on iTunes. Have a great day everyone.  [music]  [Chris]: Thanks for tuning in this week's episode of the re:Think Real Estate Podcast. We would love to hear your feedback so please leave us a review on iTunes. Our music is curtesy of Dan Koch K-O-C-H, whose music can be explored and licensed for use at dankoch.net. Thank you Dan. Please like, share and follow. You can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/rethinkpodcast. Thank you so much for tuning in everyone and have a great week.  [music]  

SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 10:12-17; Romans 2:25-29; Mark 9:23-25SUMMARY: Belief isn’t simply agreement with an idea; it’s something that only really happens when we act. In the Old Testament, the Law teaches that the mark of being part of God’s people is male circumcision. But in the book of Deuteronomy, and again, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, God warns that circumcision is only part of the picture: true belonging within the people of God only happens when we submit our hearts to Him. The connection here is that our faith in God isn’t only about rituals: instead, rituals are a starting point for a lifelong relationship where we test our beliefs, and as God sustains them, our confidence in His promises deepens. Beliefs are meant to be wrestled with; to be stretched, tested, and corrected. Our hope is that Revolution can be a safe place where we can “work out” our beliefs in community with one another.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:What are a few of the most important beliefs in your life? Have those beliefs changed over time? If so, what has made them grow stronger/weaker? What do you believe about God? Would you consider yourself a Christian? Why or why not?Do you think you have to have certainty about something in order to believe it? What particular beliefs about Jesus or about God do you wrestle with? How can you act on those beliefs, even as you hope for more certainty about them? How can prayer be a part of the way you explore and test your spiritual beliefs? What can you pray about this month, and what kinds of answers or results can you be looking for?

Series: 1 John Sunday, November 11, 2018 -- Sermon Questions “THE REAL DEAL”On a scale of one to ten (with one being low and ten being high), how “real” is your Christianity? When it comes to translating the Greek into English, what is one of the difficulties?Read 1 John 2:7-8. What does John mean by we are “to love one another”? Biblically, what is agape love (see 1 Cor. 13:4-7)? How is the command to love one another old (see Deut. 5:6—talk about what it means to love God -- and Leviticus 19:18)? How is the command to love one another new (see Luke 10:25—37 and discuss its true meaning)? Discuss the Corrie ten Boom illustration. Could she not have forgiven the Nazi guard and still really been a good Christian? Why or why not?

Our passage contains two words that are critical in Paul’s letters: grace and peace. One scholar says that these words express in condensed form the essence of Paul’s theology. Grace and peace need to be defined and understood for us as Christians so understand and enjoy these gifts. The doctrinal truth we are taught in this passage is that grace and peace come from God the Father and Christ the Son. The Christian life is designed that we would grow in grace and peace now that we have now been united to Christ. Further, these gifts are meant for us to grow in together as a local church. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS How do we define the biblical words grace and peace? How would you describe them to a friend who is not a Christian? Why is it important for us to understand that grace and peace come from Jesus? How do we know if we are growing in grace and peace? What is an area of your life that you have experienced the peace of Christ, or an area that you need to grow in the peace of Christ? PRAYER Pray specifically for the members of your home and for our church family that we would grow in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus. Pray for other groups gathered around our community this week for the first time. Pray that the gospel would spread in our community.

Radiant Culture — In this episode we continue the discussion from the previous episode as we focus on The Law given by Moses. Does it still apply and is it relevant to Chrsitians since we now live under Grace. Are Christians still required to uphold any part of the law? Jesus says, according to the bible, I have not come to abolish the law but to uphold it. What does this mean for the Christian? Why does a section of Christians still observe the Sabbath day and another does not and meets on Sunday instead? Have listen and join the discussion

Episode 3: Let's Make Love On Hump Day Gearing up for a weekend of heart eye emojis and do not disturb settings on the iPhone MeechReal and his wife make a quick stop at OhSoMediaGroup's Studio for an impromptu recording session that may make you reconsider who's DM's you choose to explore! Mr. & Mrs. Real share some of their first encounters with what they thought was love and answer a tough question : Why No Sex before Marriage? Meech Moments: Intro: unconditional by @Naimesakemuzik [3:26] - Weekend Recap [7:00] - Webster's Definition of Love [11:00] -The Bible Defines Love [13:19] - Back In The Day [26:40] - Bellwether Break [28:17] - A pillow can ruin a relationship [35:20] Dear Mr. Christian "Why can't I DO IT before marriage?!" [51:29] Birthing Purpose (Chase Great Enterprises) [52:50] - 5 Love Languages Words of affirmation Receiving Gifts Act of Service Quality Time Physical Touch

What do you do if you're not sure you are actually a Christian? Why does assurance of your salvation even matter? In this message from 1 John 3:19-24, Pastor Jacob Riggs shares two things you need to do if you're not assured and two things you get if you are assured.

Christians who have truly dedicated themselves to God want to live out that dedication.  Renewing the mind makes it possible. In this episode we are going to look at what it means to renew the mind, how to do it and the benefits that come from it.  When you and I embrace the lifestyle of renewing the mind there will be results.  Today, we are going to look at: The two major ways that we can renew the mind.  What does it mean to be a transformed Christian? Why can a transformed Christian discern God's will? What does it mean to discern God's will? 3 Results that can come from living in the will of God. Missionary Interview, part 2: Dave Brown, Missionary from Taiwan      

If you ask five people on the street what a Christian is, you may very well get five different answers. What exactly is a Christian? Why do Christians often look so different from one another? Why are there Christians on both sides of just about every issue? Why are there so many differing thoughts and denominations? What exactly is a Christian and why can't anyone seem to agree one what is? The answer might surprise you. Special thanks to Jim Putman and Andy Stanley for their contribution to this message. For more information please visit mosaiclincoln.com

Pastor Emmanuel Akognon answers questions submitted by members in the monthly Question and Answer Sunday. Questions from members: 1. Did King James I write a book about demonology? If yes, how can he be credited for writing the King James Version of the Bible? Was King James a Christian? 2. How would you deal with a man and woman who have had 30 years of friendship that seems pure and loving without any romantic overtones. The man gets married and a few months after revealed to his friend over 30 years that he has always had romantic feelings for her? Case Studies dealt with during the sermon. 1. Rodney believes that he was saved at a tender age of 7. He was baptized at Corinthian Baptist Church of Cotonou. Rodney participated regularly when his parents made him attend services as a young lad. Now at the age of 25 Rodney does not attend church services and only comes to church on Christmas, Mother's day, and other special events. Rodney is also living with a girl he is not married to and seems to think there is nothing wrong with the arrangement. Is Rodney a Christian? Why or why not? 2. Joanna goes to Church services religiously. Since 1990 she has never missed any church worship service. She does not attend Sunday School or Cell Group. She is single but living with a man that is separated from his wife. Joanna is 35 years old. Joanna thinks Sunday School and Cell group are extracurricular activities. She does not believe in reading the Bible on a regular basis. She was heard one time saying that she does not have to read the Bible because God speaks to her with a sweet quiet voice every day. Joanna believes that hearing the word every Sunday is good enough for her. Is Joanna a born again believer? Why or why not? 3. Karen is a covenant member of Village Baptist Church. She is also a team leader. Karen has several members of the church that she has not spoken to in over 5 years. These people drive her crazy plus, they have offended her in a very bad way and she does not have time for them. In fact, she cannot stand them. She was confronted one time by a deacon who knew about one of them. She said she just cannot find it in her heart to forgive them and act as if nothing happened. She does not want to discuss the issue. Is Karen a Christian? Why or why not? 4. Victor comes to church because he is interested in a girl at the church. He does not attend Sunday School or Bible study. In fact, he does not participate in anything unless he is invited. He was baptized at an early age but has never made a confession of faith in Christ as an adult. He has stated several times that he was baptized because his parents wanted him to do so. He does not support the work of the church at all. He has put a few dollars every now and then in the collection plate. He thinks Christian stewardship is what preachers made up in the time of the reformation. He does not believe in spending personal time with God. Would you consider Victor to be a genuine Christian? 5. Julius is a party animal. In fact, everyone in the area knows him as the "life of any party". He has been a member of Jerusalem Church of God in Christ for 10 years. He believed Jesus has nothing against going to parties and having fun. If there are no parties in the area for a month he would arrange his own and invite many of his friends. Alcohol is served freely at his parties. Some of his guests even bring their own marijuana to his parties. Julius also sings in the choir when he is on time. He claims he does not smoke or use drugs. He drinks but hardly ever gets drunk. He comes to church regularly but usually late. He does not believe in Cell Group, Bible Study, or Prayer meetings. Julius claims that God speaks to him frequently and he knows without a doubt that he is a Christian. When challenged, his form answer is "I am only human. Is Julius a follower of Christ? Why or why not?

Do you have to get baptized in order to be a Christian? Why is baptism so important? Pastor Mark teaches on the topic of baptism and why every Christian should be baptized.

Every Evangelical Christian knows Ephesians 2:8-9 perhaps even "by heart." It is a major guidepost of our faith. We are saved by grace through faith. It is not about what we have done but it is about what Christ has done for us. The First Century church also had this understanding, but where the confusion lay was "What about after salvation? Doesn't the believer have to behave in certain ways in order to please God? Doesn't the OT law prescribe that behavior?" The Apostle Paul spent a good deal of ink discussing this dilemma. He concludes from his own experience with God, and from the OT, and from the words of Jesus himself; it is all by grace. After all, Abraham was justified before the law existed. Paul goes so far as to argue that observance of the law after salvation can become an impediment to following the life of the Spirit. Out text this week is one of Paul's theological arguments to prove that what began as a work of the Spirit in us must be completed in that same vein. Some were advocating that the law was necessary to somehow complete the work of transformation begun at salvation. Paul is adamantly opposed to the idea and states emphatically that what was begun by the Spirit must be completed by the Spirit. To please God is to live by the Spirit and not by the law. To live by the law would only prove ourselves to be lawbreakers. How deeply does grace penetrate our lives? Do we get a pass into heaven by grace but need to follow the law in order to please the Lord? Do we make it into heaven on a technicality but with God holding his nose as we walk by? What does the transformation that is pleasing to God look like? What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? These are all questions prompted by our text. Questions for Discussion: 1. Discuss "heart reasons" and "head reasons" for following Jesus. What convinced you to become a follower of Jesus? Did your mind follow your heart? Not everybody is wired the same way. 2. Why is it so tempting to follow the rules in order to be a "good Christian?" Why does this not work according to Paul? How does the Church perpetuate this kind of thinking? What is the cure? 3. How do we change? How do we become fit for heaven? To put it another way: how do we become the kind of people that belong in heaven? 4. How do we stay tuned to the Spirit? What practical things can you put in place that help you tune in to His presence and power? 5. How will you know when your behavior is out of step with the Spirit?

Every Evangelical Christian knows Ephesians 2:8-9 perhaps even "by heart." It is a major guidepost of our faith. We are saved by grace through faith. It is not about what we have done but it is about what Christ has done for us. The First Century church also had this understanding, but where the confusion lay was "What about after salvation? Doesn't the believer have to behave in certain ways in order to please God? Doesn't the OT law prescribe that behavior?" The Apostle Paul spent a good deal of ink discussing this dilemma. He concludes from his own experience with God, and from the OT, and from the words of Jesus himself; it is all by grace. After all, Abraham was justified before the law existed. Paul goes so far as to argue that observance of the law after salvation can become an impediment to following the life of the Spirit. Out text this week is one of Paul's theological arguments to prove that what began as a work of the Spirit in us must be completed in that same vein. Some were advocating that the law was necessary to somehow complete the work of transformation begun at salvation. Paul is adamantly opposed to the idea and states emphatically that what was begun by the Spirit must be completed by the Spirit. To please God is to live by the Spirit and not by the law. To live by the law would only prove ourselves to be lawbreakers. How deeply does grace penetrate our lives? Do we get a pass into heaven by grace but need to follow the law in order to please the Lord? Do we make it into heaven on a technicality but with God holding his nose as we walk by? What does the transformation that is pleasing to God look like? What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? These are all questions prompted by our text. Questions for Discussion: 1. Discuss "heart reasons" and "head reasons" for following Jesus. What convinced you to become a follower of Jesus? Did your mind follow your heart? Not everybody is wired the same way. 2. Why is it so tempting to follow the rules in order to be a "good Christian?" Why does this not work according to Paul? How does the Church perpetuate this kind of thinking? What is the cure? 3. How do we change? How do we become fit for heaven? To put it another way: how do we become the kind of people that belong in heaven? 4. How do we stay tuned to the Spirit? What practical things can you put in place that help you tune in to His presence and power? 5. How will you know when your behavior is out of step with the Spirit?

If companies, religious orders, and bishops can leverage the power of a good motto, why can’t every Christian? Why can’t each one of us have a motto to keep our spiritual efforts focused, to inspire us, to help bridge our deepest desires and our daily decisions? I think we can, and I think we should. And in this Retreat Guide, The Complete Christian: A Retreat Guide on the Calling of the Twelve Apostles, I would like to propose one. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "The Complete Christian: A Retreat Guide on the Calling of the Twelve Apostles" from RCSpirituality.org.

Have you ever forgotten why you became a Christian? Why you live this life and if there is anything more to this Christian life? Your not alone. Through this series we are going to return to the Cross and re-examine the culture or the life style God desires His people to live. Direct Audio Link

Is there such a thing as an ex-Christian? Why do some people claim to be former Christians? Can a Christian become a non-Christian?

How can I become a Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian? Why should I consider becoming a Christian?